The little boy born without a nose who melted hearts and defied medical odds has died at the age of two.
“We lost our little buddy last night,” reads a Facebook message posted by Eli Thompson’s father, Jeremy Finch, on June 4.
“I’m so blessed to have had this beautiful boy in my life! He finished his race a lot earlier than we would have liked, but it was God’s time to bring him back home.”
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Eli was born in Alabama on March 4, 2015, with an incredibly rare condition known as complete congenital arhinia. After an uneventful pregnancy, Eli’s mother said she immediately knew something was wrong when he was born.
“I pulled back and said, ‘Something’s wrong!” Brandi McGlathery told Al.com. “And the doctor said, ‘No, he’s perfectly fine.’ Then I shouted, ‘He doesn’t have a nose!”
The boy was born without a nose, nasal passage, or sinus cavities. His parents say doctors never detected any issues before he was born.
Eli lived with a tube in his throat to help him eat and breathe. The boy was expected to undergo facial reconstructive surgery later on in life after he reached puberty.
Details surrounding Thompson’s death have not been released.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover funeral expenses, which has already surpassed its goal of $12,000. Any funds left over will be donated to charity, the page states.